


Shelter from the Storm

by helsinkibaby



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-05
Updated: 2012-12-05
Packaged: 2017-11-20 10:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/584202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Sandy hits, Esposito visits Lanie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shelter from the Storm

The storm clouds are getting closer and closer, growing ever darker and more sinister but Javier Esposito can't help but think they're nothing compared to the clouds that appear on Lanie's face when she opens her apartment door to find him there.

"Javi, if you think this is the night for a booty call-" she begins and he almost bites his tongue in an effort to not let his offence show.

"Relax, Lanie," he says, holding his hands out, palms up, as if to ward off an attack. "That's not why I'm here." She blinks, looks down but not so quickly that he doesn't see the flash of shame in her eyes. "I'm here because I know you hate storms and I wanted to check that you were all right."

She takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. "I'm sorry," she says quietly. "I'm just on edge."

He nods, having expected as much. "The storm."

Lanie steps back to let him in. "It was bad enough when it was only a damn hurricane," she says, going to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of his favourite beer. "Now it's a superstorm?" She gives an exaggerated shudder. "The word even sounds evil."

He takes the beer, sits on the couch as he takes a sip before putting it down beside her glass of wine, cell phone and torch. There are candles lit all around the apartment, just in case, and it reminds him of other nights he would have spent here, with her. Not willing to let his mind go down that path, he goes back to the subject of the oncoming storm. "You heard from your family?"

"My sister. They're all ok, just evacuated inland. Waiting to see what tomorrow brings. Yours?"

"Nowhere near it. Ma keeps calling, trying to get me to go down there."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Why didn't you?" 

He shrugs. "Told her I had somewhere I needed to be." It sounds like a line, he knows that, but it's the God's honest truth, and from the soft smile that plays around Lanie's lips, she believes him. 

"Disobeying your mama for me? Javi, I'm shocked at you." Any effect from the teasing tone of her words is negated by that look in her eyes, the one he's seen so many times before, the one he still misses. 

And sitting here, in her living room, surrounded by candles? He misses it more than ever. 

"Lanie..." He's about to tell her as much when the wind howls even louder outside and the lights flicker and die for a second before coming back to life suspiciously dimmer. Lanie jumps and his hand closes around hers automatically. 

"Take me to bed, Javi," she says, not a demand, not a plea, something in between. "And I still don't mean like that," she adds before he can open his mouth. "It's just..." She looks down, away from him and when she speaks, her voice is so soft he can barely hear it over the wind. "You always made me feel safe."

That's all he needs to hear from her and he stands, beer forgotten, and leads her to the bedroom where they climb under the covers and wait for morning. 

There'll be time enough to talk about them then.


End file.
